Report Summarizes Environmental Science Study Findings from University of Connecticut (Differential flood insurance participation and housing market trajectories under future coastal flooding in the United States): Environment – Environmental Science

2024 NOV 26 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Ecology Daily News -- A new study on environmental science is now available. According to news reporting originating from the University of Connecticut by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Communities respond to flooding events based upon risk perceptions and available adaptive behaviors (e.g., emigrating, purchasing insurance, constructing levees). Across the United States, sea level rise, intensifying storm-surges, and extreme rainfall may alter human-flood dynamics.”

Financial supporters for this research include Uconn | Connecticut Sea Grant, University of Connecticut.

The news editors obtained a quote from the research from University of Connecticut: “Here, we use calibrated Socio-Environmental models of contiguous US coastal census tracts and two shared socio-economic pathways (SSP245 and SSP585). We project that by 2100, total flood insurance claims will increase by +25% to +130% under low (SSP245) and high (SSP585) emissions scenarios, respectively. The increase in flood insurance claims will impact mainly socially vulnerable communities. Further, we project that active NFIP policies will increase from +30% under low emission scenario to +60% under high emission scenario. Our finding also suggests the growing debt of the National Flood Insurance Program under higher emissions. Raising the water elevation threshold for coastal flooding by +1 meter via levees may reduce future surge-related losses by 95% and 40% under low and high emission scenarios and stabilize housing markets.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our future projections of flood insurance claims, policy coverage, and the impact of water elevation serve as credible hypotheses for the evolution of human flood dynamics under climate change. They can inform national flood policy and future research.”

For more information on this research see: Differential flood insurance participation and housing market trajectories under future coastal flooding in the United States. Communications Earth & Environment, 2024,5(1):1-9. The publisher for Communications Earth & Environment is Nature Portfolio.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01848-z.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Sandeep Poudel, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut. Additional authors for this research include Rebecca Elliott, Richard Anyah, Zbigniew Grabowski, James Knighton.

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